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Local pediatric hospital benefits from good will mission

Aug-11-2004 » Filed Under: 3/2 SBCT

(TFO Press Release)

MOSUL, IRAQ (August 11, 2004) – In an effort to cheer the lives of the small children at Ibn Al Atheer pediatric and perinatal hospital, members of the 416th Civil Affairs Battalion passed out small stuffed animals in the intensive care wards of the Mosul hospital on August 10.

“Donating toys to children who are receiving care in a hospital setting is the best way for us to add something bright to their lives,” said Lt. Col. Walter Franz, from Byron, Minn., Battalion Surgeon and Public Health Team Leader for the 416th. “It is a great pleasure to do good, beneficial work in the health care community.”

The number one cause of infant health decline and mortality worldwide is diarrhea and dehydration, and the children admitted to the Atheer hospital reflect that statistic. Most of the children admitted are seeking treatment for symptoms of diarrhea and dehydration.

According to Franz, these symptoms are often treatable and that is why the care given by the medical professionals at Ibn Al Atheer is so important to the families in the Ninevah Province.

This was the third visit to the hospital by Soldiers of the 416th, an Army Reserve unit from Norristown, Pa. They have picked up where the Soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) left off after completing renovations on a hospital wing earlier this year.

While at the hospital, the 416th Soldiers also donated medical textbooks to the staff members, who hope to expand their medical reference library within the hospital.

“Often, within the medical profession, we take our access to current medical reference books and literature for granted in the (United) States,” Franz said. “If we can improve their medical library, we can improve their knowledge as medical professionals.”

Multinational Forces, in partnership with the local medical professionals, are continuing to improve the health care standard in the Ninevah province through the discussion of the needs and challenges faced by the local medical community.


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